The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

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Continued from page 2

In Pyle’s tale, Robin’s idea of what to do with the golden arrow he’s sure to win is to “hang it to the branches of our good greenwood tree for the joy of all the band.” Were he a socialist, surely there would be better things to do with an arrow made out of gold, but Robin Hood finds a thrill in winning, in besting his foes, and saving the day. He is an outlaw, utterly humiliated in society, having lost rank and title in many accounts, yet he is always proud. He is a valiant individual, bold and exuberant in the face of challenges.

The spirit of Robin Hood is not one that fits with state dependency. An oft-repeated line in the BBC television series that ran from 2006-2009 is: “Everything’s a choice, everything we do.” No matter how benevolent and generous, Robin Hood would hardly vote for an agenda that eliminates a free person’s ability to choose for himself. Robin Hood doesn’t support enforced equality of position and circumstance. He merely fights for recognition of innate equality and the liberty to pursue position and circumstance at will. It’s not for nothing that his legend coincides with the Magna Carta.

It may seem pointless to try to prove a fictional character’s political views, but we live in an America where public servants have painted themselves as heroes and we’ve been duped into cheering for them as our champions. They have made themselves larger-than-life in a land that was meant to be run by a limited government. They feed us stories and fables, narratives about our nation that they have written, and someone needs to inform them that they are not good writers. There are better legends out there, ones that ring true—tales of self-reliant people doing brave deeds for the sake of others who are bowed under the weight of a growing state. If we can see Robin Hood in the right light, we can see ourselves as we should: shrewd enough to discern injustice on our own and strong enough to fight it as we see fit.